Starthub.org Editorial Policy

Overview

Starthub.org is the official online hub of the Boston startup and technology ecosystem, bringing together content on Boston’s companies, startups, investors, events, jobs, classes, blogs, videos, workspaces, accelerators, incubators, resources and organizations in the greater Boston region. Starthub.org is the result of a unique public/private partnership between the office of the Mayor of Boston, IBM, Gust, and over a dozen leading Boston-based technology and media companies.

For questions relating to existing content or technical issues on the site: editor@starthub.org

Starthub.org’s mission is to make it as easy as possible for readers to find out what’s happening in Boston’s startup and technology ecosystem. All content listed on Starthub.org is sourced without payment to content partners and Starthub.org takes no financial payments from out content partners for generating traffic.

Sponsorship

Starthub.org is provided to the Boston community through the generous financial sponsorship of IBM. As the sponsor of Starthub.org, IBM is provided with the opportunity to feature certain programs and product offerings that are of interest to the Boston startup community. The selection and inclusion of content on the hub is under the independent control of the hub editorial staff.

Content Partners

Starthub.org doesn’t take payment for any referrals or lead generation. We also do not take part in affiliate marketing or referral programs. The only funding provided to the hub is through our exclusive sponsorship agreement with IBM.

The hub editorial team works with many content partners to create a comprehensive database for Boston’s startup and technology ecosystem. These partnerships are based in the shared benefit to both parties by publishing content on the site and generating meaningful visibility and traffic for our content partners.

Content Submissions

The hub regularly receives content submission requests from writers, bloggers, PR agencies, etc. wishing to submit content for publication. While the hub editorial team is always happy to be notified about potentially interesting content we do not pay for content to be created, nor do we guarantee any submitted content will be published on the site.

Content Categories

For most content categories like startups, events, courses, workspaces, and jobs there is a content submission area on each page where visitors can submit their relevant content. Shortcuts to individual landing pages are included below:

To notify the hub editor about content that might be of potential interest you can also send an email to the editor at: editor@starthub.org.

News

Updated stories are added to the hub each weekday. It is the editorial goal of the hub to be as inclusive and comprehensive as possible. Our editors work with customized editorial software and through daily engagement with content partners to make sure featured content reflects the breadth and diversity of key newsworthy events taking place in the Boston startup ecosystem.

From time to time Starthub.org may publish original content in the form of press releases and interviews but it is the policy of the site to not author original articles. This policy is in keeping with the site mission of amplifying the work being done by many authoritative sources across the city.

Some examples of content we feature on a regular basis are articles focused on new rounds of fundraising, product features, startup culture, civic tech and matters related to the city’s tech ecosystem.

If you want to recommend a news article you feel would be relevant you can email your suggestion to our editor at: editor@starthub.org.

Startups

Starthub.org’s goal is to create a real-time comprehensive database of all the tech companies in Boston. This includes both startup and tech oriented companies. Companies not listed can add themselves free of charge here: starthub.org/startups.

Startup listings for Starthub.org are powered by Gust, the world’s largest platform for startup funding. Users can maintain and update their startup profile at any time through the Gust dashboard.

Site Programs

Startup to Watch Program

Every week, Starthub.org chooses a “Featured Startup.” In order to be considered as a Featured Startup the company must have a profile on Starthub.org. Featured Startups are included in our weekly newsletters and put in a prominent slot on the homepage. The final determination of each weekly featured startup is based solely on hub editorial review. Review criteria include:

Ability and intention to scale

Level of prior investment--looking for early stage companies

Completeness of profile which includes at least the following data:

Website URL

Date Founded

Founder Name

Number of Employees

Elevator Pitch

Logo

Address

Every month Starthub.org crowns a “Startup to Watch,” from the prior month’s list of Featured Startups. The Startup to Watch is selected based on community engagement with the featured startup as tracked by page visits and clicks. The Startup to Watch receives an acceleration package that may differ from month to month but typically includes a press release, tweet from the city, featured interview on the site, offers to speak about their company at business events, as well as tickets to events.

Quarterly Events Preview

Four times a year Starthub.org produces a “Quarterly Events Preview” where we announce the top event of each month in the upcoming quarter. The top three events are profiled in a press release and published as an article in the news section of the site. The chosen events also receive visibility by being featured both on the site and in the weekly newsletter as well as receiving offers to speak about their company at business events.

Events for any given month are selected based on their relevance to the largest portion of Starthub.org readership.

If you feel your event might be a good candidate for inclusion in the Quarterly Events Preview you can email our editor at: editor@starthub.org.

Twitter Feeds & Blogs

Starthub.org has sections devoted to aggregating the Twitter feeds of key Boston based thought leaders in the fields of business, technology and startup culture. We are particularly interested in founder stories, key challenges facing startups, lessons learned while scaling a company and stories about how being a Boston company has been a benefit. The selection of authors to contribute to key sections of the site is based on final review of the editor.Please note that Starthub.org does not currently accept submissions from corporate blogs.

Newsletter

Starthub.org publishes a weekly newsletter that brings key featured items from across the startup ecosystem to our readers’ inboxes. The editorial policy of the newsletter follows the same guidelines as outlined in this document.